Lottery tickets are well known and widely sold and typically comprise a sheet material of paper or card stock on which is printed lottery information and various indicia for the playing of one or more games. Many such games are instant win type games where the player can play the game or games by carrying out various functions, for example, opening pull tabs on a break-open ticket. Such tickets are also known variously as pull-tabs, pickle cards, jar tickets, hard cards and charitable gaming tickets.
Break-open tickets are typically constructed by printing a sheet containing multiple combinations of lottery indicia thereon. This sheet is then cut into sections. The opposite side of this sheet includes prize categories, serial number etc. A second sheet contains removable tabs or break-open windows is then mounted onto the card stock such that the break-open windows overlap the lottery indicia. However, break-opens prepared in this manner have the disadvantages that they are cumbersome to prepare, have a limited set of winning symbols and require manually checking at the time of redemption.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,857 (Koza) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,899 (Greenwood) each disclose a combined ticket construction in which a second layer is applied or folded over the basic ticket to improve security. U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,284 discloses a break-open ticket with a second level of break-open. U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,258 (Sanderson) discloses a two sided break-open ticket where the windows are arranged back to back opening onto a single center sheet carrying the game data.
As shown in published PCT International application No. WO 98/57715 published Dec. 23, 1998 of the present applicants there is provided a pouched lottery ticket which is supplied in a fan folded continuous strip arrangement for separating each ticket from the next at a dispensing station. The disclosure of this publication is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Also in the prior art is a sample of a game ticket manufactured by Scientific Games and known under the trademark "Zip-Tix". This comprises a ticket formed of a paper back sheet with a foil or metalized front sheet. The front sheet has a single break-open window which can be torn open to reveal a black printed image of game indicia printed onto a grey security coating. The printed image includes a validation number printed under the break-open window so that it is revealed when the window is opened. The game indicia appear to be printed using an ink jet system. What appears to be a validation number is printed below the game data.